VICTORIA LAND

physical region in eastern Antarctica, bounded by the Ross Sea (east) and Wilkes Land (west) and lying north of the Ross Ice Shelf. It was discovered in 1841 by a British expedition led by Sir James Clark Ross, and it was named for Queen Victoria. It consists largely of snow-covered mountains, with heights up to 13,200 feet (4,025 m). The United States and New Zealand operate research stations there. More than 300 meteorites preserved in Antarctic ice were located in 1979 in the Allan Hills and Darwin Glacier areas of Victoria Land. Their discovery was the result of a scientific insight that in less than three years doubled the number of meteorites available worldwide for scientific study.